Postgame Notes: OSU vs ISU

No. 8 Oklahoma State 72, No. 9 Iowa State 71 (2020 Phillips 66 Big 12 Basketball Championship)
March 11, 2020 Sprint Center Kansas City, Mo.
Updated Records: Oklahoma State 18-14 overall, 7-11 Big 12 Iowa State 12-20 overall, 5-13 Big 12

Oklahoma State Leaders: Points – Isaac Likekele - 21, Rebounds – Cameron McGriff - 8, Assists – Isaac Likekele - 9
Iowa State Leaders: Points – Prentiss Nixon - 25, Rebounds – Caleb Grill – 8, Assists – Prentiss Nixon - 4

Game Flow
Oklahoma State took at 34-32 lead into the locker room at halftime on the strength of a defense that forced Iowa State into 10 turnovers in the opening stanza. Nearly half of OSU's 34 first half points – 15, to be exact – were scored off Cyclone turnovers. Iowa State started the second half on a 15-2 run that led to the Cyclones opening up a 47-38 advantage. OSU worked its way back into the game and trailed by only one with 20.4 seconds remaining. It was at that point when Isaac Likekele sunk two free throws to give OSU the lead. Iowa State went down and scored to regain the lead before Likekele raced to the other end to score a layup and re-capture the lead for OSU. The Cowboys stopped the Cyclones on their final possession to win.

Game Notes
·         Regardless of record or venue, Oklahoma State and Iowa State always seem to play down to the wire. Of the last 17 meetings between these two schools, 11 have been determined by nine points or less, including six by five points or fewer and three in overtime.
·         Oklahoma State shot 49.1 percent from the field, marking its fourth consecutive game shooting 45.7 percent or better from the field.
·         Isaac Likekele was a standout. The sophomore from Arlington, Texas scored the game-winner and had 21 points for his highest scoring output since November. He added nine assists for his second-highest assist total of the season.
·         Oklahoma State went with a starting five of Likekele, Lindy Waters III, Jonathan Laurent, Cameron McGriff and Yor Anei. That group has started each of the last nine games together.
·         The game was played amid a backdrop of the COVID-19 virus spreading. In the minutes prior to tipoff, Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby announced that Wednesday's games at the Phillips 66 Big 12 Tournament would be played as normal, but beginning on Thursday, the remainder of the tournament would be modified. This official statement from the Big 12 Conference was issued during the first half: "The priority of the Big 12 Conference is to ensure the safety of our students, coaches, administrators, event staff and fans. After careful consideration and consulting with medical officials, other conferences, the NCAA and local officials, the Big 12 Conference announced that after tonight's men's first round games, all remaining Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's and Women's Basketball Championship games will be played with only family, friends, credentialed media and essential staff permitted in the arenas."

The Oklahoma State Win…
·         Marked the Cowboys' fourth straight victory overall and improved OSU to 5-1 in its last six games and 7-2 in its last nine games.
·         Marked the Cowboys' second over Iowa State in less than two weeks, as OSU claimed a 73-61 victory over the Cyclones in Stillwater on Feb. 29.
·         Improved the Cowboys' record to 25-21 all-time at the Big 12 Championship. The 25 wins rank third behind only Kansas (46) and Texas (26), while the program's .543 win percentage trails only Kansas (.793) among all Big 12 squads.
·         Improved the Cowboys' record to 13-2 (.867) all-time in the first round of the Big 12 Championship, which is five more wins than the next closest Big 12 team, Texas Tech, and easily the best win percentage in the opening round.
·         Improved the Cowboys to 7-3 all-time against Iowa State in conference tournaments, including a 4-2 mark at the Big 12 Championship.
·         Broke the all-time series tie between OSU and Iowa State. In a series that dates back to 1918, the Cowboys now hold a 67-66 advantage over the Cyclones.

Team Streaks
·         The Cowboys improved to 16-2 this season and 42-11 in the Mike Boynton era when leading at the half.
·         OSU has made at least one three-pointer in 648 consecutive games dating back to Jan. 13, 2001, which is the 24th longest current streak in college basketball.

Individual Streaks
·         Cameron McGriff finished with 17 points. He has posted at least 10 points in each of the last 13 games, and he's scored 14 or more points in each of the last seven outings.
·         Including his one blocked shot on Wednesday, Yor Anei has blocked at least one shot in 55 of his 64 career games.
·         Cameron McGriff is the only Cowboy to have started every game this season. In fact, McGriff has started 78 consecutive games for the Cowboys, which is the 10th longest streak in school history. The school record for the most consecutive starts is 104 by Desmond Mason (1996-00).

Records Watch
·         Thomas Dziagwa connected on one three-pointer to bring his career total to 251, a mark that ranks fourth in school history.
·         Lindy Waters III hit one three-pointer to bring his career total to 177 a mark that ranks 11th in school history.
·         Yor Anei blocked one shot to bring his career total to 145, a mark that ranks eighth in school history.
·         Cameron McGriff grabbed eight rebounds to bring his career total to 742, a mark that ranks 11th in school history.
·         Cameron McGriff played in the 132nd game of his career, which moved him into a three-way tie with Ivan McFarlin (2001-05) and Mitchell Solomon (2014-18) for seventh in school history.

Up Next
The Cowboys have a quick turnaround to play top-seeded Kansas at 1:30 p.m. CT Thursday. The game will be televised by either ESPN or ESPN2.

Oklahoma State University Athletics

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Players Mentioned

Yor Anei

Thomas Dziagwa

Jonathan Laurent

Isaac Likekele

Cameron McGriff

Lindy Waters III

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